UVA beats out football powers for Charlotte LB Brannon

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Virginia has gained a huge commitment from a national top-100 athlete in linebacker Dallas Brannon of Independence High School in Charlotte.

The question is, how is Brannon rated only a 3-star, when numerous Power 4 football programs recruited the 6-foot-2, 207-pound prospect?

In the end, UVA beat Duke for Brannon’s commitment. Those were the only two schools he visited, as he was searching for a blend of academics and athletics. But look at some of the 28 programs that offered the North Carolinian:

Virginia beat out Tennessee, Michigan, Miami, Ole Miss, Indiana, Southern Cal, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Louisville, Cincinnati, Wake Forest, Duke and others.

Brannon is rated the No. 61 overall athlete in the country by 247Sports Composite and the No. 36 overall prospect in the state of North Carolina.

He is UVA’s eighth commitment for the recruiting class of 2026.